MT Magazine May/June 2024

FEATURE STORY

MAY/JUNE 2024

15

the contact-stop safety ratings. The current ISO standard is 150N force maximum at 1,000 mm/sec maximum speed (pending only fingers and arms are at risk of contact). If chest area, abdomen, other, are exposed to the cobot, speeds must be limited to 300 mm/sec.” 4. Why Would Someone Get a Cobot Rather Than a Conventional Robot? ABB Robotics’ Paton answers: “Cobots are straightforward to program, deploy, and use, lowering the barriers to automation for first-time users and small to medium enterprises. There are a wide range of reasons an organization would opt to install one or more cobots rather than traditional industrial robots. Some of the most prominent reasons include the lower initial investment and overall operating costs of cobots, the ability for cobots to be more easily integrated into existing production lines, the ability to install and operate cobots without having to hire a robot programming expert.” 5. What Is the First Application That Someone Ought To Try With a Cobot? This is a variation on a theme we’ve seen more than once already: “Something simple. Very simple. A simple application with quick deployment,” says Kuka’s Ryan. You want a win, so going simple is a way to get one. Yaskawa Motoman’s Edwards provides some general specificity: “This is subjective to the industry they are in, but look around for someone that looks like a robot doing a task and try a robot there. Simple, repetitive motions with limited payloads and reasonable speeds. Packing, picking, placing, palletizing, and simple welding are all easy ones to try. With welding, you can do more complicated welds, but a basic T-joint or fillet weld can be learned and taught in a matter of minutes. These are opportunities to automate a basic task that is otherwise wasting your skilled welder’s time.” 6. What Familiarity Does Someone Need With Automation To Install and Operate a Cobot? “Organizations can install cobots with very little experience and familiarity with automation,” says ABB Robotics’ Paton. “But any organization adopting cobot automation must be careful to thoroughly define the structure and motion of the task that a newly installed cobot is to do on the production floor, especially if it is something that a human has traditionally done. “People accomplish complicated tasks very easily, and when you automate these tasks, it is very easy to miss when an operator reorients a part or looks to see what side of the part has a specific feature that allows proper positioning – or quality control. It is very important to talk through the process with an ‘expert’ so that the cobot adeptly and accurately is able to accomplish the desired task.” Fanuc America’s Willea says there’s another thing to keep in mind: “There are ancillary sensors, tools, machines, etc., that must be interfaced. So in order to be successful, someone should at least be familiar with 24VDC circuits, I/O handling,

basic logic control, and have an understanding of sequence control.” 7. What Level of Robotic Programming Skills Are Needed for Cobots? “Generally very little,” says Kuka Robotics’ Ryan. Most cobot vendors provide the ability to program the arm by physically manipulating it. They’ve developed programming wizards. And there is simple, graphical block programming. 8. Can Cobots Work Directly With People (Such as Handing a Part to Someone) or Is It Better To Have Distance Between Them? The simple answer, of course, is “yes.” But there is always a “but.” “They can work directly as long as the application is safe,” says Yaskawa Motoman’s Edwards. “Just because the robot is deemed ‘safe’ does not always mean the application is. You would not want a cobot doing ultrasonic cutting or laser welding within reach of other workers.” As for any manufacturing operation, risk assessments must be made and deployments undertaken accordingly. 9. If Cobots Can Work Directly With People, What Makes the Person Safe? Cobots can detect external forces (e.g., bumping into something – or someone) and safely stop. This stopping is facilitated by the comparatively low speeds they operate at. And given the rounded surfaces of the cobot arm, force is dissipated across a wider area. There are no pinch points on the cobot arm. 10. Are Cobots a Good Solution for the Ongoing Labor Shortage, and if so, How Is ROI Achieved With a Cobot? Fanuc America’s Willea responds: “Most definitely! With the ease of use, quick deployment, safety, and low cost, a cobot can very quickly resolve labor issues within a plant. Consider that the cobot can run 24/7/365; which means you’ll essentially gain the productivity of having a three-shift employee at less than the cost of a one-shift employee. The ROI on most cobots is typically 12 to 16 months when compared to a typical full burden labor rate employee.” As Universal Robots’ Langford notes, “As we are reshoring and near-shoring manufacturing, cobotics technology and automation in general are going to make that possible.”

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Gary at vasilash@gmail.com.